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Sunday, February 9, 2014

The right tools
are essential to successful performance in your kitchen. The French excel at this of course, and have
invented dishes to satisfy every possible accoutrement.

This weekend I
tried two recipes that require the use of a moulinette
or food mill. I was able to get my hands
on, after much searching and comparing, one of the best moulinettes on the market, made by European manufacturer
Paderno. Made entirely of stainless
steel, it is used in major restaurants.
It is the secret to wonderfully creamy soups, sauces and preserves.

I admit it is pricey, but it is a tool that
will last forever and you will find yourself using it more and more.

The first recipe I tried was from fellow Francophile
Laura Calder, who found it in an old recipe notebook: Confiture de carottes – or carrot jam. Yes, you heard right. Carrot jam.
It is as delicious as it is unusual and so simple to make. Keep it in mind for the next time you need to
make a nice house-warming gift. It
should be eaten with slices of baguette or bâtard bread smothered with slabs of cold, salted
butter.

Confiture de carottes

Ingredients:

1 pd. peeled carrots

Water, as needed

2 cups sugar

Zest of 1 lemon and juice
of 2

10 whole chopped or
slivered almonds

2 Tbsp. Cognac

Preparation:

Slice the carrots and
put them in a saucepan along with the water until they are just covered. Boil until very soft, then run through the
moulinette to puree. Put the puree back
into the saucepan and add the sugar, the lemon zest and lemon juice and bring
to a boil. Cook until “glassy” and “jammy”.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the
almonds and Cognac. Cool and spoon into
a sterilized jar. Keep in the fridge.

The other recipe
I tried was a soup. What with the cold
winter we are having here in Florida, a nice creamy pea soup is a welcome meal
any time. This recipe is classic of a
typical French brasserie. It even
carries the name of the trendy 6th arrondisement – Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It freezes wonderfully, so make double the
recipe and stock up!

Pureé Saint-Germain

Ingredients:

15 oz. split peas

2 oz. lardons

1 cup veal stock

1 bouquet garni: thyme,
leek, bayleaf, celery

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup butter

Croûtons and crème fraîche
to serve

Preparation:

Soak the peas for
2 hours in cold water, then drain and boil in 4 cups of lightly salted water,
skimming off the foam. When the peas are
ready, drain (keeping half the water) and sieve through the moulinette.

Sauté the lardons
in a pan, removing the grease. Add the
sieved peas, pour on the veal stock and the liquid and add the bouquet
garni. Simmer for 15 minutes at a very
low temperature.

Remove the bouquet garni, season with
pepper and pour the pea soup into a preheated tureen or serving bowl, stir in
the butter and add the crème fraîche and croutons separately upon serving.

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About Me

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and lived there during the first twenty years of my life. I've been living in the Sunshine State for over twenty years now, most recently in Orlando - the city of Disney.
I'm a Political Scientist and have traveled extensively as the true Saggitarian that I am. I love to experience new cultures through food and customs. In this blog, I aim to invite you to slow down and enjoy the pleasures of life in order to become the perfect, non-desperate hostess - mainly good food, wine, travel, great literature and entertainment with the people that matter to us. This is a blog about debauchery, so if you are not interested in self-indulgence, you might have to look elsewhere.
As far as my personal interests go, I have a sponge-like mind and absorb as much from the world around me as I can. I am mostly interested in everything French, the country's history, cuisine and traditions.
This blog is about dreams, projects and passions. Mine just as much as yours. I review products and places, and test recipes. I invite you to peruse and indulge...